It goes without saying that you want your business to be well-reviewed on sites like Yelp and Google. But your social media presence should also be bolstered by testimonials
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Part III: I want to get involved in social media, but I don't know where to start. I have Facebook and LinkedIn Pages, but I don't know what to do with them. Right now, they are pretty much idle. I really don't have a lot of time to devote to the project, but I know I should be doing a better job because my prospects are online checking me out. Do you have any advice?
--Hank from Kentucky
In the past two weeks, we have spoken about the goals of social media involvement and the minimal goal of having a professional presence. This week, we will move up one step from a professional presence and add the goal of bolstering your presence with testimonials/recommendations. It makes sense that, if your prospective clients and referral sources are going to check you out online, that you should have more than just a professional presence. You need to have positive reviews on places such as Google, Yelp and Zillow. But your social media and personal web presence should also be bolstered by recommendations.
Where should these testimonials appear? For one thing, they should appear on your website. LinkedIn also provides connections the ability to endorse you for basic services, and to write a more detailed testimonial. How do you get connections to write a testimonial? There are two keys for achieving this goal. First, write a testimonial for them. This invokes the law of reciprocity in the recipient's mind. The second key is to send them sample language so that you make it easier for them.
When you have testimonials from other real estate agents on your LinkedIn page, an agent you are approaching for a meeting will be more likely to meet with you – especially if they see a recommendation from an agent or vendor they know. You can take this concept one step further by moving to leverage these testimonials to garner more referrals. How do you do that? Stay tuned for our final part next week.
--Dave Hershman
Dave Hershman has been the leading author and a top speaker for the industry for decades with six books authored and hundreds of articles published. His website is www.originationpro.com. If you have a reaction to this commentary or another question you would like answered in this column? Email Dave directly at [email protected].
Related stories:
Crafting the perfect LinkedIn profile
What do you want out of social media?
--Hank from Kentucky
In the past two weeks, we have spoken about the goals of social media involvement and the minimal goal of having a professional presence. This week, we will move up one step from a professional presence and add the goal of bolstering your presence with testimonials/recommendations. It makes sense that, if your prospective clients and referral sources are going to check you out online, that you should have more than just a professional presence. You need to have positive reviews on places such as Google, Yelp and Zillow. But your social media and personal web presence should also be bolstered by recommendations.
Where should these testimonials appear? For one thing, they should appear on your website. LinkedIn also provides connections the ability to endorse you for basic services, and to write a more detailed testimonial. How do you get connections to write a testimonial? There are two keys for achieving this goal. First, write a testimonial for them. This invokes the law of reciprocity in the recipient's mind. The second key is to send them sample language so that you make it easier for them.
When you have testimonials from other real estate agents on your LinkedIn page, an agent you are approaching for a meeting will be more likely to meet with you – especially if they see a recommendation from an agent or vendor they know. You can take this concept one step further by moving to leverage these testimonials to garner more referrals. How do you do that? Stay tuned for our final part next week.
--Dave Hershman
Dave Hershman has been the leading author and a top speaker for the industry for decades with six books authored and hundreds of articles published. His website is www.originationpro.com. If you have a reaction to this commentary or another question you would like answered in this column? Email Dave directly at [email protected].
Related stories:
Crafting the perfect LinkedIn profile
What do you want out of social media?
